The good news: They have plenty of checkout lines (14 at last count) The bad news: You'll find maybe two of them open, with long lines. And another long line at self-checkout. read more

Lines at the sandwich, the deli, and the cook foods are long. If you come in after 9pm the self checkouts are close, so you are forced to get into their long check out lines where they normally only have at most 2 people checking out. The worst exiting of the parking lots ever, especially during computer hours. On side street exits, a left you exit into traffic for people going to Bart and right exit, you have across walk from Bart for pedestrians leaving the Bart station. It is a hazard to pedestrians and car drivers. Lastly the so call free WIFI is down 75% of the time. From what I was told management doesn't really care fixing it because you got a bunch of people always staying there for long hours and making a mess of the place. They should hire McDonald people because they don't have issues with their WIFI. read more

Love this store, pretty busy all the time, but I have one complaint! The bags for this store suck, I pay 10 cents for a bag that rips in 4 minutes? It might as well be free! Great store, bad bags. read more

It takes forever to find someone so that you can simply buy Advil or toothpaste or lotion or mouthwash so that they open the lockers, yes lockers to buy them. That's how bad the theft is here. Lines are insane, especially after work hours. Get better security to free your items or electronic tag them. No one has time for this nonsense. read more

Went to pick up Drive Up & Go order. Called the phone number posted by the designated parking station. Got a recorded message that number was not in service. This meant I had to go inside the store (which defeats the reason for using Drive Up & Go) to pick up my order. Safeway was unable to find my order. After waiting 50 minutes while they kept trying to locate my order I left. This is a Trump level of incompetence. read more

BEWARE! Until today I was a regular customer but now I will NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THE DELI! Two times in a row they sold me spoiled, slimy cold cuts. So gross. read more

Worst place to shop. Long lines and not enough cashiers. 1 hour waiting in line.

Rude workers in the deli section. They don't work with a sense of urgency. Don't go to the deli section if you're in a hurry. I went there on my lunch break, stood in line for 20 minutes and left. Poor service. They should hire quality workers. Not lazy ones who hate their job read more

I go to the deli everyday for lunch - takes FOREVER! usually only 1 person making sandwiches. You can't order it on the screens like at the older stores, you have to stand in line and wait. There's a 3 minute or free sandwich gaurantee (which they rarely meet) but when you point it out they tell you that you have to tell them you are timing them when you place your order or it doesn't count. Otherwise, they make a good sandwich. read more

Everything about this store sucks. The lack of checkers, no clear signage for the deli line, over priced poor quality produce. The most dangerous part is the entrance from Hill street. It is not wide enough. There is construction on the BART side. If pedestrians are trying to walk in or out to acess the cross walk, they have to squeeze between the cars and the construction fence. This store is a disgrace. read more

consistently one of the worst safeways out there and thats not saying much, first off the security here is so heavy its like stepping into a prison when you come here, always sold out of stuff, employees have attitudes, and im not making this up: i walked in the front door the other night and there was literal shit on the ground near the entrance if i wasnt being more aware i would have definitely stepped in it, i didnt want to even know whether it was dog or human but i would not be surprised either way knowing this place lol!!! read more

This is a very unhappy place. Go here to feel miserable and angry. You will be unable to locate anyone to help you find things. You will notice that although the store is enormous, it does not have a good selection of food. It just has aisles a block long of Coca Cola. Then you will get in an extremely long line, which will move extremely slowly. Once upon a time this chain had a reputation as being a good employer, but clearly they've decided they can make more money by firing half their employees. Remember "3's a crowd?" Safeway claimed that they would open a new register if there were more than three people waiting in any line? Those days are long gone. Or perhaps they reversed the procedure, and close lines with fewer than 3? I'm giving them one star, because they do carry Cup Noodles, which my son likes. And also I can't figure out how to give zero stars! read more

I have been a resident of El Cerrito all my life. I remember when Safeway way was on Moeser and on MacDonald Ave. I frequented the one on Moeser for decades. It was always fine. This new revamped Safeway is a disgrace to the City and an embarrassment to the community. The service is horrific. The employee attitudes are "I hate my job". I went there one evening to get some medication for my son with a fever. I was feeling ill myself so opened the medication and took some before paying. A Safeway employee threatened me saying you better pay for that. I gabbed my wallet and pulled out over a hundred dollars and said I don't think that is something you need need to worry about. Plus who would be stupid enough to consume something in front of an employee and on camera and not pay for it? Obviously the employee was not very smart but then he egged his friend on who ended up pushing me almost to the ground. I called for Security but he just walked around the store slowly unconcerned. I called 911 but the police came too late. I later complained to the manager but he said he could only talk to the manager the next day. I never heard back. I called Safeway HQ and they never told me if they did anything about the employee who egged on his buddy to push me. I payed for my things and left to go take care of my son. I was told by the ECPD that that Safeway is particularly horrible and to avoid it if possible. For your safety, I suggest you do the same, plus the lines are slow and the prices are stupid high. Safeway you should be ashamed. Walk into Orinda Safeway or Mill Valley Safeway or Dublin Safeway or Benicia Safeway and tell me if you notice a difference....... read more

I think what makes this Safeway unpleasant is the traffic in and out of the store. Yes, the parking lot is awkward, and yes, the BART station across the street is the main source of the congestion, but I think that its convenience for BART passengers is what will ultimately lead to its downfall. If you are heading North on BART, this is probably the best way to get groceries on the way home from work. There is even a TV right inside the door that displays the BART schedules and delays. So, in my experience, going to this Safeway is not unlike shopping at a busy train station. The first time I visited the store and went to the the restroom, I interrupted a man bathing in the sink. The Starbucks and deli/prepared foods section has ample seating for everyone waiting for his or her train. Very little would have to be done to this store to evolve into an OTB location. If you can find a cart, shopping at this Safeway is exactly like every other Safeway: staffed with the minimum amount of employees needed to make everyone disgruntled. I guess I can't blame the shoppers who use self-checkout for their 300+ items if no more than 4 cashiers are ever working at once. This of course includes any cashier or employee that would be able to staff the self-checkout area. Did you bring your reusable bags, hoping to get in and out, even if there are plenty of self-checkout registers available? Here's a tip (given to me by an employee at a different Safeway): Don't select, "I brought my own bags," before you start ringing up items. Doing this automatically triggers an employee assistance alert, which will be ignored for at least 10 minutes, leaving you helpless or desperate enough to think that you can hack into the self-checkout register with a secret code ("up-down-up-down-left-right-left-right-a-b select start" doesn't work, by the way). The most efficient way to get through the self-checkout process is to scan your items first, then bag them after you have paid. Sure, a line will have accumulated behind you as you rush to get your 8-pound tub of translucent Carl Buddig lunchmeat into your nasty canvas bag full of ancient Safeway receipts, but I know I can't get enough of that sweet, sweet voice, announcing, "Please take your items. Please take your items. Please take your items. Please take your items." So, yes, this is a great train station in which to shop for groceries. read more

I love safeways but this store is..... just OK. There customer service is not the best... But I love the starbucks!!!! The girls there is so friendly Sophia is the BEST!!!!! Every time I come in she knows exactly what Im going to get! As for the deli.... yeah they need help in that department. It always seems like the ladies that work over there dont want to be there at all. And I kinda dont blame them because they never have help! read more

[Negative Stars] unprofessional customer service by Griselda at Checkout... she throws all your groceries and doesn't bag with care read more

Seen a huge rat in the bakery section. Watch out guys. Friendly workers but obviously not the cleanest.

I hate this store so much! I really, really wanted to like it , I looked forward to it for months (especially when they stopped restocking the shelves in the old ones.) I've been in the store many times at all different times of the day and I hate it more every time. Why do I hate it? LONG LINES! Checkers talking among themselves or on the phone while we wait and wait and wait some more. It took me 20 minutes to get through a line today at 3 o'clock (felt worse for the old man in front of me...he was standing on only one leg). Crappy, expensive, produce...go to the Colusa Market or Giovanni's instead. Weird mood lighting. Doesn't put me in the mood, just makes it hard to see. Badly marked isles...could ya hang a "pasta" sign by the dried pasta? It's freezing cold! Horrible, horrible! read more

If I could give this Safeway negative stars, I would. It's the worst Safeway I've ever been in. This store needs new management ASAP. I hope the folks at the corporate headquarters read these reviews. The straw that broke the camels back was 2 nights ago. 9pm on a Friday night and they had two checkers. There were 35 people in line for both of the two open check stands (so 70 people, standing in lines that stretched down two aisles). There were another 35 people in line for self-checkout. I got so frustrated that I put down my basket of groceries and walked out. To add insult to injury, a manager in a white shirt was just standing around looking at the obvious chaos. At no point did he think to jump on a register?! Here's what you can expect every other time you go in there: 1) You'll wait for 50 minutes to get food at lunchtime in the hot food/deli section. They have one overworked employee there at the busiest time of day, lunch, and it never occurs to them to add more. They have a number of other employees milling around randomly, but gawd forbid they help out. Apparently, their job is to re-stock paper towels, or something equally stupid. 2) They never have enough checkers and no one will ever bag your groceries. If you DO get a bagger, he has no clue how to put groceries in your bag. Everything delicate will go to the bottom, guaranteed. 3) Everyone here hates their job. You can expect exactly zero happy greetings or customer service. No one will ever make eye contact with you. 4) No employees here know where anything is. They have zero social skills and apparently zero training. Worse, they look surprised and annoyed that you asked them for something. Kinda like they don't realize they work there.... 5) Can't find a hand basket when you walk in? That's because no one has though to retrieve them from other parts of the store. It's like no one was actually trained on anything. 6) The management doesn't care. They can't adequately staff this store and apparently have no skill to jump in where needed in times of crisis (which is 24/7/365 at this Safeway). Sad. read more

I left a one star review here months ago and I'm coming back to say it again. This is one of the most understaffed places of business I've ever seen. There are constantly lines spanning multiple aisles and they never have more than 2 ringers read more

This Safeway is a JOKE! Came here to order a cake for my Mothers Birthday only to be told there was no one in Bakery to help me. Just wasted 5 minutes of my life. read more

Nicely remodeled and fairly big selection. Never had a problem with customer service here, not sure where all the complaints are coming from. read more

Avoid avoid avoid. Lines are needlessly long. Do not spend $ here. It's overpriced and the service is horrible due to understaffing.

Aarrgggh!! The ONLY reason I go to this Safeway is proximity & decent prices w. "Club Membership". I hate the long wait in too few lines. They've never heard of 3's a crowd as there's always a crowd & management is more interested in that $ than our time!! And don't try to call Customer Service as they don't answer the phone so I wasted a trip in there! They don't have a number of products I like although they do have some good stock. I've also had to wait for staff so I can get simple dental floss they locked like Fort Knox...this has happened more than once. Staff is as rare as Home Depot even after you ring for them The same when I wanted to inquire about fish. Improve your Customer service Safeways!! read more

Generally an ok Safeway. Parking lot design is awkward, especially when a BART train arrives or if San Pablo is crowded. Can take awhile to exit. Today I went to buy some cooked shrimp at the fresh seafood section. The customer in front of me was being served by the Safeway fish monger, a husky fellow right out of The Soprano's central casting. I said "hi" and he mumbled something, with a hint of New Jersey twang. I asked if I could get some fresh cooked shrimp. He looked at me and then turned to his co-worker who was cutting fresh RED MEAT. He mumbled something to him about "having to wrap up some Salmon for a guy"....Huh? I'm standing right there. The gentleman then begins pulling salmon fillets and wrapping them for some invisible customer and tells me "I'll just be a few minutes". Uhh, OK. I guess. His buddy chopping the fresh red meat unexpectedly appears and offers to get my order of fresh cooked shrimp. He's a carbon copy of the first fish monger. However, there was an obvious difference: he is pretty much covered in red meat blood. I look at his hands, the same, coated in red meat blood. He proceeds to initially scoop up the cooked shrimp with a plastic bag. He weighs the bag and then to my chagrin, he barehanded grabs a handful of fresh cooked shrimp with his red meat contaminated hand. He then tosses back the excess shrimp. He then awkwardly tells me to have a "good day" while glaring at his co-worker. I feel pretty bad for the next customer who may decide to eat the fresh cooked shrimp fresh out of the wrap. Luckily I am throwing mine into a gumbo. El Cerrito Health Department, where are you? read more

This place is horrible, they are under staffed and way too many people come here. At lunch time..forget about coming here the sandwich line is lonnnnng! The ladies are nice but once again, too many people and not enough employees. I would rather go to Rayleys then come here. read more

If you need to contact the bakery department to order in advice like a b day cake don't bother! Just go and order it at the location because no one is picking up the phone BUT someone is there, sotheyday. I've called three days in the role and now still on hold by the costumer service department to transfer me. First time they transfer me they hung up... Wish me luck! read more

Very slow at Deli not enough checker or help one line for deli, hot food and sandwiches.

Epic failure as it relates to properly staffing their store!! Why do I continue to believe that my next experience will be better than every other time? Please take my advice and go anywhere but here. read more

Horrible customer service everytime. Only one person working the Sandwhich sidw, manager always apologising but continously run bad service out of their store. Van in sandwhich department moves extremely slow. No help once so ever, I hate spending my money at this place its really ridiculous. read more

I just want to say one thing: they sold expired beverage to me...

I feel it is my personal responsibility to tell you how bad this Safeway really is. The self checkout stations are friendlier than the current staff could ever hope to be. The 'Starbucks' should be removed because it is the worst cesspool you could ever imagine (rude, rude, rude young adults that work there with no education, tact OR social skills whatsoever). STARBUCKS, help these kids. You pay them and they have no appreciation for the job. PLEASE save yourself the trouble and get a Costco membership or go anywhere but here, especially for coffee. Also, if Starbucks loses market share it is stores like this that are the cause (no hello, no good morning, nothing. And the cashier threw the receipt on the counter without a word). Peet's, here I come! read more

I am not a frequent shopper at any Safeway, but thought I would give this one a shot since it was brand new and looked big on the outside. 1st impression was I thought it was trying to be like Whole Foods. Except it isn't, it's still Safeway. I paid over $40 for 2 bags of items and thought, what the heck did I buy?! And I don't remember if I got the 5¢ credit for bringing my own bags. I told myself I would not go back, but I did, for a late night milk run. The staff was OK. Although it seemed they were more into hovering and have personal conversations. I will choose Raley's or Lucky before I go to this Safeway again. read more

I will definitely not be returing to this Safeway. I went there to get lunch for the week and waited 15 minutes in a line of 10 people. There were only two registers open and both checkers were slow. They seem very understaffed and unorganized. There were two people I could see behind the ciggarette counter watching people wait in the long lines, when they could have opened a register to make the lines go down. I wouldnt even try the self check out... those lines are even longer. Seems like its the same every time I go in the store. Sad:( read more

Opens late, i had to wait for almost 6 minute after the given time for the pharmacy. They take their own time doing internal works rather than helping people. Not a proper customer service. read more

This Safeway is ridiculously understaffed--at the check-out stands, at least--whether crowded or empty. I went in near closing Thursday night and found only two lines open with at least eight people in each line. Most people are buying just a couple items at that hour, yet the self-serve stands all were closed! They should have had one clerk at a check-out counter and one at the self-serve helping six customers at once. I complained to the manager, and she said "I'm just trying to close the store." I have news: If you have enough clerks taking customers' money, you close faster. I don't blame her; she isn't provided with enough staff to do her job right. That's high-level management saving bucks at the customers' expense. I went back at 8:30 p.m. the next night, Friday, when the store was packed. The store has 14 check-out counters, but eight of them were dark!!!! (Why install them if you're not going hire enough staff to run them when needed?) There had to be at least 10 people in every opened check-out line, many with shopping carts over-flowing. Every line had a 10-15-minute wait. I had two items, so I got into the self-serve line, which had 12 people waiting in front of me. Of six stations, one was broken and two took cards only because they couldn't make change. I feared my ice cream would melt before I could pay for it. Paying for two items took 18 minutes. Yo, highly-paid, bottom-line executives ensconced in your ivory tower over there in Pleasanton: People need jobs, and people with jobs are getting less leery about spending their hard-earned cash. If you want to get it, hire more workers. Next time I want cookies and ice cream, I'll go to Seven-11. read more

The Deli line around noon Monday thru Friday takes about 45 mins to get a sandwich, the employees are rude and always upset. Just last week I ordered a roast beef sandwich and found a large curly hair in the roast beef and old tomatoes with mold in them. Never again will I order a sandwich at this location read more

I shopped at this safeway for a few years. Then I started working there. I hate to say it but this store especially the deli is filthy. Often times we didnt have soaps to wash the pots and pans, and no sterilizer. Recently a mouse was found dead in one of the sinks and it stayed in the sink for many hours because nobody wanted to take the time to get it out and dispose of it.The sandwich bar has mold and other things growing under where the meat and veggies sit waiting to be fed to customers.Im surprised people are not getting sick from the food. I also once found a remains of an unidentified animal in the deep fryer. It was not from a chicken and that is about the only meat they fry. Safeway knows of all the issues they have but choose not to deal with them. I was told that if I took soap off the shelf to wash the dishes with I could be fired. I didnt care, it was more important to me to make sure things were clean, that people not get sick.... read more

I live next door by so naturally I go here no matter how bad the place is. It's open late and their pharmacy staff are AMAZING- BEST PHARMACY EVER. But- the store itself sucks especially bad recently for several reasons. First, they have signs up everywhere that say if there are more than 3 people waiting in line they will open up a new one. Absolutely never has this happened. The line can be 14 people long and you will wait there forever with no new lines being opened. Depending on what time and day you attend the dominant type of customer changes between being ghetto or old. The self checkout works fine unless you are an idiot- which seems to be 70% of the people who use it. Why isn't there a ban on self check out users over the age of 37? How do these morons continue to go through life not getting the gist of how these machines work? Typically out of 6 machines, 3 are always randomly broken and shut down. Ok so my worst complaint- which is not the store's fault hut corporate's fault - is how they put these insane locked glass doors all over the hygiene products in the store. There are no buttons to push for assistance, and no staff to stop what they are doing to help. I have literally just been going straight to Wallgreens to get shampoo, toothpaste, ect... because of this ridicules problem. A week ago I had a pregnancy scare and needed to get a test- of course their tests are locked up. I went over to the cashier qnd asked if someone could open the cabinet and she said- alright yeah I'll call someone. Me and another two people are waiting around there for 10 minutes- so frustrated I walked back and asked again. She says- what aisle- I duno- so then she asks me what product- and exasperated I say- "private" "oh yeah that's aisle 15" . I march all the way back and wait another freaking 10 minutes when some teenage boy comes and has to literally open the case and stand there watching me grab a pregnancy test. UMM- THIS SHOULD BE A PRIVATE MATTER. I go to wait in line and the checkout lady yells while checking out the person in front of me "Oh a pregnancy test- are you going to keep it? You don't look pregnant!" I am literally about to puke from how angry I am at this point. Then she starts going off about her kids. Holy crap- SO UNPROFESSIONAL. I went to been complain to the manager about the cases and lack of privacy and he just tells me to call corporate. I will at some point. But seriously what dope came up with this idea? What about when you need to buy lube? Condoms? Who wants that to be advertised all over the place? Potential shrinkage is now replaced by everyone avoiding buying all kinds of products from their store. read more

This Safeway is probably one of the worst stores I've been to.they have more security in the evening than checkers. The riff raff that frequent the store only really come in the evening. So if you want a pleasant store experience go during the day. But stay away from the really chatty checkers and there quite a few if your looking to get through the check stand in under a half hour On the up side of shopping if you want liquor you must first go and tell the checker that you need key service on island 1 then Waite for someone to show up and sometimes they don't if that isn't a slap on the face if you need deodorant aspirin tums anything in this area. Oh yeah it's locked up too. This store is taking it hard. Can't say that it's not making money but can say that the thief's are taking quite a bit of the bottom line. I don't think they will keep losing this much money for long. They will try higher prices to the consumer and then we won't come back read more